Restaurant Owners Sue San Diego Over Polystyrene Ban

Three restaurant owners, along with the California Restaurant Association (CRA) and Dart Cardboard Corp. of California, have reportedly filed a lawsuit challenging San Diego’s ban on polystyrene food containers, alleging that the city failed to conduct an environmental review before instituting the ban. “The CRA has filed a legal challenge to hold city government accountable for following a legally-required process. The lack of an environmental study in San Diego prior to the city considering a ban on polystyrene food packaging is alarming,” CRA stated in a tweet. “The City ignored a critical step in evaluating the environmental impact that replacement products will have at local landfills, along beaches and to air and water quality. We have all the confidence in the legal process and that the court will validate our complaint.”

Meanwhile, Maryland may reportedly become the first state to ban polystyrene food containers. The Maryland legislature has sent a bill to the governor that would prohibit the provision or sale of expanded polystyrene food service products on or after July 1, 2020. Violators would be subject to fines of $250.